


Tealeaf Cafe

by CostumersDelight (CostumerDelight)



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Cafe AU, Caleb is a researcher, Coffeeshop AU, Gift Exchange, M/M, Molly owns a coffee shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28767213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CostumerDelight/pseuds/CostumersDelight
Summary: Molly owns a 24/7 café, and every late, late Thursday night (or Friday morning if you're being pedantic), his favorite customer comes in.
Relationships: Implied Jester/Fjord, Mollymauk Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 16
Kudos: 75
Collections: Widomauk Winter Gift Exchange 2021





	Tealeaf Cafe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pastelNothing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelNothing/gifts).



> AAAAAAAAA This was such fun to write! WidoMauk Winter Gift Exchange for 2021! While we all know being hit on by a customer in an actual café situation is the literal worst, the AU is always so soft and comforting and I love it??? 🥺 Anywho... So the person this was for? They ended up helping me with some drink ideas when I asked for help in the server on drink ideas.... so HAHA I'M SORRY FOR TRICKING YOU but I did try the rose drink, it's so amazing.
> 
> Anywho, please enjoy! I was gonna draw something to go with it but it might take longer than anticipated 😢 But enjoy nonetheless!

It wasn’t the grandest of businesses, but he made do.

Mollymauk added the beans to the grinder, letting the machine do its work as he set about pulling out the different jugs and spoons for his creations, the tamp and the tiniest of coffee cups for the espresso machine. To the loud whirring and noise of the espresso machine he danced about behind the bar, setting the clean utensils at their stations. When the whirring stopped, he turned around in perfect time to set one of the tiny cups down to catch the fresh espresso, the crema settling on the top with a little lopsided heart.

It was a waltz he knew well and danced every evening at the Tealeaf Cafe. The cafe was quite small, barely able to fit the host of coffee grinders, brewers, and the fridge for all the necessary components of his magical elixirs, and then the kitchen for the baked goods that the customer base adored. Jester was just finishing up in there while Fjord finished washing the cups in the front sinks. Usually between seven and eight at night was the slowest, which was perfect to close the kitchen down and swap shifts, and Molly was certainly not a cruel boss to make his employees take the graveyard shift.

“Have a wonderful evening,” he called after them, having already split their tips and doled them out, with an extra five spot each from the till. The pair of them scurried off happily, chattering about their plans for the evening, while Molly started making his own drink. A redeye with mocha syrup, a splash of oat milk, and dusting of cinnamon. Not the sweetest of drinks, but it certainly woke him up. And it also wasn’t the only drink he’d have that night.

Late night customers came in a bit infrequently throughout the night and year, but enough that it warranted an overnight shift. With Rexxentrom being a huge college town, it made sense with all the students taking tests, studying, and the drow population having a nightly schedule as opposed to daytime. Even drow students were not exempt from sleep deprivation, even with the ability to trance.

“Welcome to the Tealeaf Cafe, how are you doing this evening?” he chimed as the door jingled open, about two hours into his shift. “Ah! Mister Clay, welcome back, the usual?” he asked, already pulling out the loose leaf teas from the shelves on the back wall. “I haven’t gotten in a new order of tea yet, but I’m sure next week we’ll have that new one you asked about with the honeysuckle blossoms.”

“Oh, thank you Molly,” the firbolg replied, smiling softly. “Yes, just the usual. I’m about to go home and the tea is always lovely to calm down with during meditation.”

“Not a problem, not a problem, though I’m sure the tea you make at home is much better,” Molly laughed, pouring hot water into a to-go paper cup. “Also, these biodegradable cups have been a big hit, the company even gave me a cut on them. Thanks for the recc.” He weighed out the loose leaf tea into a small teabag, then tied it off as the water cooled slightly. A quick thermometer check to make sure the temperature wasn’t going to scald the leaves, and he dropped the baggie in, closed the lid on tight, and passed it over. “Two seventy-seven, my friend.”

“Ah, my punch card…” Caduceus said, digging in his pockets for a moment. Molly smirked, tabbing out the till and ringing up a free cup. “I’m sure I have it here…”

“I trust you, Mister Clay, it should be your tenth, right?” Molly said, nudging the cup over the counter. “And even so, the tea isn’t actually all that expensive so if you get two free teas this week, who is going to notice?” He winked at the taller man and smiled. “You have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you again, Mister Molly, and I’ll see you tomorrow,” he smiled, heading out the door. The jingle was quickly followed by a second one. A very handsome looking drow, certainly a mage of some sort based on the somewhat glittering books he always carried. It must have gotten chillier outside since Molly had gotten into work, as the drow had a dusting of snow on his shoulders.

“Mister Thelyss, welcome, welcome,” Molly smiled. “Same order? Something new?”

“Ah…” Essek glossed over the menu of specialty drinks, lingering on one of them, before shaking his head. “Just the usual.”

“You know,” Molly tutted, turning around to start the triple shot americano, “there’s no shame in liking the sweeter drinks. I get that you’ve an image to keep up in class of this shadowy mysterious guy, but no one will see it in the cup.” He could almost hear how Essek tensed up behind him.

“Well… I’ve been wanting to try the peppermint mocha latte…” he trailed off.

“Consider it done, and I’ll only charge you the americano price in case you don’t like it,” Molly said, quickly switching up to the milk jug and syrups, pumping one of the peppermint flavoring and one, two, three more of the mocha. “One peppermint mocha coming up. Whip?”

“No, thank you.”

A few moments later, Molly nudged the to-go cup across the counter, a sweetly warm drink decorated on top with gentle floral latte art and a light dusting of mocha powder. Essek thanked him, leaving a bill on the counter as he went to cap it and smiled softly at the art on top.

He left, Molly ringing up the order and placing the generous tip in the tipjar, and settled in for the long night ahead. He wasn’t necessarily a night owl himself, but it gave him a moment of respite when he could be alone, and if it was at night he could do that, well, he may as well take advantage of it. It was nearing eleven at night, so he started another coffee for himself, simply cold brew and almond milk creamer.

Molly set about doing some cleaning around the cafe, busying himself until the two o’clock rush from the late night classes. Most students wouldn’t stick around long after three, but it was difficult to stay active and alert for that long to focus on cleaning, so midnight was the best to start. The rush came and went, as usual, the biggest reason the night shift was still running strong, and Molly waved as the last of the night students went out the door, bells chiming behind her and her friends.

“Right, time to get ready.”

The rush lasted usually about an hour, and by three thirty, Molly had changed clothes and done up his hair and makeup. When he worked nights, he usually left the glitz and glamour at home, preferring that he didn’t fall asleep in so much makeup and jewelry if things were really boring one night, but one night every week he did himself up, and tonight he had decided he was going to go all out.

At three forty-five, right on time, the door jingled open.

"Hello, and welcome to the Tealeaf Cafe!" Molly chimed in a singsong voice at the new guest. His fiery auburn hair was what drew Molly to him the first time they crossed paths at last year's Pride festival; Molly had stumbled over his own damn feet into Yasha and Beau when he saw the man and tried to invite him to the cafe after the festival, but he had vanished into the large crowd.

"Ah,  _ hallo _ Mister Mollymauk," the ginger responded, his soft smile peering out from under his fluffy scarf. " _ Guten morgen _ , it is chilly outside,  _ ja _ ?" He had a large book bag strap across his torso, the absurdly large bag itself near to bursting with old textbooks. He was coated in a dusting of snow and shook it off as he entered.

"Indeed, I'm glad I get to stay inside all night."

They shared small talk for a moment, Molly excitedly chattering about weather, about the current events in town, and about the man's studies while the human divested himself of the layers and straps.

"What are you looking to get, Mister Caleb?" Molly finally asked, standing up from the counter he had begun leaning on closer to Caleb as they talked amicably for the past twenty minutes. It was almost routine on Thursday nights - Caleb would argue Friday mornings, but Molly hadn't slept yet so it was still Thursday night - for Caleb to come in at quarter till four and stay for three or four hours, quietly sipping his brew and turning pages while Molly set about pulling the day's risen doughs for Jester and Yasha.

"Ah… surprise me?" Caleb replied, having shucked his coat and the winter scarf. Apparently he had a fashionable scarf on under the big brown coat, and Molly tried to tamp down the urge to pull the man closer by said scarf as he tamped down a fresh dose of grounds. An older machine in the back of the bar, generally unused, was how Caleb preferred his coffee made, so a little extra care went into the brew.

The sound of the new machine that automatically ground and brewed the espresso actually caused Caleb migraines. Molly had mentioned the old machine when Caleb had first brought it up when he started making appearances (apparently having barely heard the name called to him at Pride) and even to Caleb's protests, made him a simple latte with his phone number decorated on top, like a smooth operator would.

Caleb, apparently, drank it without looking.

"One surprise drink, hm? I'll come up with something special," Molly hummed, tail flicking about behind him with delight.

"I will probably be staying for a couple hours to do more research," Caleb was saying, setting his belongings at one of the seating areas in the cafe and returning up to the counter. "I have a presentation today on the properties of dunamancy at the research facility, and the board asks a lot of questions."

"By all means, Mister Caleb," Molly called over his shoulder before looking back at his flavor selections. A pinch of cinnamon was set into the milk jug with the milk poured over it and set to begin steaming. The old espresso machine steamer was quieter to use, and Molly would not cause his favorite regular a migraine. On that he swore.

" _ Danke _ , Mister Mollymauk," Caleb sighed, leaning onto the counter. Molly had grown used to being watched while he made drinks, he fancied himself an artiste of fine coffee. But he felt more alive when Caleb was the one watching him.

So, much like the fancy bartenders at slick underground clubs, Molly started flipping some of the bottles of syrups before adding the necessary pumps to the cup, keeping Caleb’s attention while he actually made the drink by flipping utensils with his tail. Peanut butter and cinnamon syrups and a pump of chocolate syrup are put into the large ceramic cup decorated with a cat, the handle the cat’s tail, while the milk finished steaming and frothing.

“Showing off today?” Caleb asked, chuckling quietly to himself. “You have a lot of flair I’m not used to.”

“Oh, I just enjoy looking pretty once in a while," was Molly's reply as he poured a splash of milk into the cup, gave it a brisk stir, and filled it. "Latte art, Mister Caleb?"

" _ Ja _ , sure," Caleb pinked a bit, smiling still. "I still don't quite understand how you make the art how you do."

"Lots and lots of practice and a willingness to be so caffeinated off your gourd you can hear colors and see music."

Caleb scrunched his face as Molly set to dabbing a spoonful of milk foam on top of the latte with practiced ease, using the remnants of espresso to create the necessary designs. A careful dusting of cinnamon on top, and Molly presented the art, a cat peering at Caleb up over the lip of the cup.

"I doubt you can see music or taste color from over caffeination," Caleb muttered, rolling his eyes. "This looks like  _ mein katzen _ Frumpkin."

"Is that so? Must be a cutie," Molly smirked. "If you tell me more about your cat, I'll let that one be on the house."

Caleb immediately dove into the explanation of his cat, why he was named such, and what kinds of tricks he could do. Molly listened intently, cleaning up the dishes used to make Caleb's drink before making his own, an amaretto and rose flavored latte, and sitting beside the man. Caleb cast a minor illusion to show off his fluffy best friend, making the illusory cat walk up to Molly and put a paw up on his nose.

"He likes to do that with people who come over," Caleb explained, face split wide with a huge smile. Molly nodded, sipping at his drink.

"You haven't touched your coffee, Mister Caleb," Molly pointed out, gesturing to the sad deflated cat art on top. "Want me to make a fresh one?"

" _ Nein _ , I have this," Caleb said, pulling out a tiny bit of dust and speaking over it, before blowing it onto the cup. Immediately the foam cat perked up and steam rose once more from the contents. "This is the property of dunamancy I was talking about earlier. Causing a very minor shift in time up to an hour past, and reverting a selected object to that time." He smiled again at Molly. "I was going to present this to the board today."

"That is incredible!" Molly nearly vibrated in his seat with excitement. "That's what your research has been all working towards? What's the extent? How far back can you go?"

"Ah, only an hour at most. Spell energy permitting, I theorize one can revert an inanimate object back at most ten years?" Caleb picked up the cup, blowing gently on the now-freshly-brewed latte. "But I would need more research grants to continue the study. The components for such a spell multiply astronomically the further back you wish to revert an item. Powdered platinum as you can imagine is not cheap."

Caleb took a sip of his drink, eyes closed as he savored it. Molly took the moment to scoot in ever closer, having been already inching closer during their discussion. Caleb hummed softly, then gave a soft cough.

"That's the cinnamon," Molly pointed out, smiling gently as he plucked the cup from Caleb's hands. "It tends to run on the spicy side, cut down slightly by the peanut butter, and it brings out the richness of the chocolate. Sweet and warm and familiar, with just a little kick of spice at the end." Molly let his hands trail up Caleb's scarf and grab firmly, easing the human forward. "Sort of how I imagine kissing me might be, if you wanted to."

Caleb quirked up a brow, a smile forming on the edge of his mouth as he challenged Molly, "Why don’t you kiss me and find out?"

Molly paused. Then, his shoulders shook. Caleb bunched up his face and both burst out in a hearty laugh, clinging to one another for support so they didn't fall backwards off the barstools.

"Gods damn, Caleb, that was a fucking smooth line," Molly roared, pulling Caleb in for a tight hug. "Fuck, who taught you that one? That's brilliant, love, what the fuck!"

"Ah, it was too much, wasn't it?" Caleb chuckled in Molly's grasp, the charade broken. " _ Ja _ , Jester suggested it. As soon as you made any move to kiss me she said," and Caleb straightened up and put on his best mischievous look and in his best Jester impression, "'If Molly says anything about a kiss, tell him to kiss you and find out! Mama says that a little challenge can really spice things up!'"

"So even Miss Marion was in on your end? I had no help!" Molly sighed, leaning into Caleb again. "Though, she should have said if it was directed at me kissing you, not the other way around. It didn't quite hit the mark, dear. It was still very inspired, though."

"I will not live this down if they find out I messed it up," Caleb winced a bit. "Can we pretend it went off well?"

"Cad will see right through it, you know that."

"But will he tell everyone?" Caleb pointed out, taking another sip of his latte. "This is good but it is too much cinnamon for me,  _ schatz _ , I am sorry."

Molly swapped their cups around, smirking, "I was so proud of my line for that, if it makes you feel any better."

"Why would I have to imagine what it's like kissing you if I already know?"

"It was  _ roleplay, _ my darling wizard, just like we agreed for funsies." Molly took a sip of the spiced drink and sighed. "So, I do want to know, is this how kissing me is like?”

“Eh, a bit? You’re sharper, like ginger, not spicy like cinnamon,” Caleb noted, taking a sip of his new drink and smiling again. Molly hummed quietly to himself as they sat in the quiet. “You know I am not good at pretending, I really do have the presentation and need to do further research.”

“Oh, I know, love,” Molly purred, leaning over to peck Caleb on the cheek. “I still wanted to do something cute for our anniversary. You be the smart cookie you are and I’m going to get the place ready for the next shift, it’s what, almost seven now?”

“Six fifty-one, actually.”

“Right. I’ll leave you to your research and I’m gonna head home once Beau gets here, alright?” Molly purred, nuzzling up to Caleb. “Frumpkin and I will probably be passed out on the couch. Then we’ll have our dinner plans, Yash is covering the night shift for me so we can enjoy at least some of our anniversary together properly.”

“So you admit it is actually Friday, then?” Caleb smirked, kissing Molly’s temple. Molly huffed on his shoulder before sitting up again and pecking his lips.

“I love you, you insufferable man,” Molly sighed as he pulled away, smiling nonetheless.

“I...I love you too, Molly,” Caleb smiled softly. Molly preened; while he never doubted Caleb’s affections for him, it had certainly taken a long time to get to a point where Caleb was comfortable saying the three words together. And Molly cherished hearing him say it each and every time. “ _ Frohes Jubiläum _ .”

“Happy anniversary, love.”


End file.
